Waduh, Pisang Cavendish Favorit Banyak Orang Terancam Punah

Oh no, the favorite Cavendish bananas are threatened with extinction by many people.

Dream - Every year, the world consumes more than 100 billion bananas, most of which are a type of banana called Cavendish, but maybe not for long. A fungal disease threatens the existence of these Cavendish bananas.

Bananas that have a sweet taste, with a soft texture, are in danger of extinction. Some scientists genetically modify this fruit to make it more resistant to diseases.

According to several experts, farmers need to completely overhaul banana production and stop planting only one type of fruit. There are more than 1,000 types of bananas, but around 47% of the bananas consumed by the world population are Cavendish bananas (Musa acuminata).

Cavendish dominates the global banana market for several reasons. First, this type of banana is the most resistant to several major diseases that are deadly to bananas.

Second, its shelf life is long, and third, farmers can usually grow more Cavendish bananas than other varieties on the same land.

"Because of all these reasons, Cavendish became a very practical product," said Dan Koeppel.
The text translates to: "The author of the book 'Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World' is quoted from Insider."

"Dream.co.id"

"Unfortunately, Cavendish bananas are threatened by a fungus that infects plants. This infection is called Panama Disease (Fusarium Wilt) race tropical 4. The TR4 infection starts at the banana tree's roots and then spreads, ultimately crippling the plant's ability to absorb water or perform photosynthesis. As a result, the tree dies."

"Serial Killer Cavendish Banana"

"What happened to the Cavendish banana has happened before to another popular banana variety called Gros Michel."

"Gros Michel is the "main export banana in the first half of the last century," said James Dale, a professor and leader of the banana biotechnology program at Queensland University of Technology. However, the predecessor of TR4, called tropical race 1, began infecting bananas in 1876. In the 1950s, this disease devastated the Gros Michel agriculture, forcing banana producers worldwide to seek new varieties."

"In the following years, Cavendish became the leading export banana replacing Gros Michel due to its resistance to TR1."

"In 1997, scientists detected a new strain (TR4) near Darwin, Australia, which infects Cavendish. In 2015, this disease had spread to banana plantations in Queensland, the largest banana-producing state in Australia. "Since then, this disease has spread to India and China, the largest banana producers in the world. This disease has also spread to the Middle East and Africa, and recently discovered in South America," said Dale to Insider. Source: Business Insider"